Planet Vectorworks

Calling all entertainment designers! Here is a quick preview of some of the sessions we will be offering at the fourth annual Vectorworks Design Summit. Don’t miss your chance to learn from these influential designers.

We recently caught up with Michael Keller, designer at AMO Lighting LLC, about winning a 2016 Parnelli Award in the Lighting Director of the Year category for his work with Black Sabbath, as well as why Vectorworks Spotlight is the software of choice for those with a passion for lighting and a love of music.

Lighting industry enthusiasts, mark your calendars for Saturday, January 9 for the 11th annual Stage Lighting Super Saturday. The seminar attracts attendees of all skill levels in the architectural and entertainment lighting fields, and takes place from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, located at 721 Broadway in New York City. We'll be there as a sponsor, too!

Max Conwell designs lighting for some of the most recognized names in music. But perhaps even more impressive than his list of clients, which includes Morrissey, No Doubt, and Incubus, is Conwell’s dedication to entertainment design technology. “When I started freelancing as a lighting technician, it was the infancy of moving lights and scrolling color changers,” says Conwell, founder of Naked Eye Lighting, a design consultancy in the United Kingdom. Those technologies have since matured, and his current work now incorporates exciting emergent techniques like 3D pixel and video mapping. With an established place at the forefront of the entertainment industry, Conwell’s style continues to evolve as he diversifies his portfolio with work in architectural and television lighting, as well.

With an American broadcast history spanning more than 45 years, NBC’s "Meet the Press" has seen a lot of changes, including those to its set. So when Chuck Todd was named as the new host for the Sunday morning talk show, producers and executives sought a fresh look as well, which is why they turned to The Lighting Design Group (LDG).

Since it's not unusual for Washington, DC-based theatrical lighting designer Colin K. Bills to completely change a lighting design at a moment’s notice, he relies on Vectorworks Spotlight software to communicate those changes right away to his electricians.

Tony Award winning lighting designer Beverly Emmons has lit up stages for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, regional theater, dance, opera, and even a Disney World show. Her philosophy is simple. “I like to call lighting design a secondary art form,” she says. “We support and reveal the work that somebody else is making. What’s important is the work on the stage—the dancers, the actors, the vision of the director, playwright, choreographer and how this play or this dance should be seen. It is the work that is important and our role is to reveal and reinforce it. It’s an honor to be useful in that area.”